


Beware of Flying Swords (They're Dangerous)

by that_gay_mess



Series: A Cry For Help [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Mentions of self-harm, More angst, Virgil isn't accepted yet, aged down!sides, def teen and up, probable scenes w/ slight self-harm, sprinkle in a bit more ANGST', teen!sides, this is probably gonna be sad, tw, welcome to what will likely be the hall of feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22252261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_gay_mess/pseuds/that_gay_mess
Summary: Before Accepting Anxiety, Virgil had a difficult time communicating with the other Sides. To be truthful, it'd be much easier if it weren't for one in particular.Roman (and his sword) was always between Virgil and the others - physically. He refused to let Anxiety near the others for fear of their safety and also the fact that they were scared of him. Of course, Virgil does not take this well and after a few days of absence, one of the others offer him a different life.
Series: A Cry For Help [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1874008
Comments: 39
Kudos: 130





	1. A New Face

**Author's Note:**

> I got this prompt off of Pinterest:
> 
> https://www.pinterest.com/pin/825495806683682807/ 
> 
> This is my first attempt at angst for this fandom and I'm not sure how it's gonna turn out but uh... I hope you like it. 
> 
> (Constructive criticism is always accepted and reviews and thoughts are always appreciated.)

The first time he'd been confronted was, with his luck, the first day that he had a physical form.

Anxiety had almost always been a part of Thomas to some degree, but he'd never had a "strong enough presence" to have a body like the other Sides. It was both a good and bad feeling and, just as he was deciding that it was something he could adjust to, Roman had to come along and screw that up.

The Sides were all gathered in the Mind Palace 'living room', doing whatever kept them busy, when a low humming sounded. Patton was the first to notice but made nothing of it. As the noise got louder, the other four began to hear it and turned their heads in the direction it was coming from. By the staircase was a large, purple ball of something not quite gas-like and in the middle was the formation of a human body. Morality - the oldest Side - knew instantly what this was and began to theorize with the Creativity brothers about what the new Side would represent.

Logan was more interested in how solid the ball was becoming and quickly got Deceit involved in his various ideas.

And as soon as it appeared the purple vapor dissipated to reveal a teen in all black clothing and eye shadow under his eyes cowering on the bottom step. "H-hi...," he muttered, very much conscious that all eyes were on him.

"Salutations." "Greetings!" "Hiya, kiddo!" "Hey~." "Hello." There was an eruption of noise, causing the Side to cover his ears and find his way to the nearest wall, instantly trying to ground himself. 

Silence.

If there was one thing the Side knew about his new world, it was that he hated silence.

"Did... did he just hiss?" The Side in prince-like clothing stared at the others, already refusing to make eye contact. 

"He's like a little kitten!!" The closest one to the Side, wearing a cardigan around his neck, rushed up to him with his arms outstretched for a hug. In response, the other hissed again, showing small fangs on either side of his front teeth.

"Oh," The second Side took a step back, startled and somewhat confused. 

"Fascinating," stated a third, wearing a tie that had to be far too fancy. "He has animal traits, much like Deceit and Remus. With the markings under his eyes, perhaps he represents a spider?"

The Prince jumped forward, sword outstretched, to protect the second Side. "Never fear, Morality! I'll protect you!" 

"Why couldn't you just use his name? Wouldn't it be proper to introduce ourselves to the Side?" The tie-teen questioned. "Nonsense! What if he's a bad Side and uses it against us?" The third retorted. 

"I don't resssent that remark," the shortest hissed. "No offense," The previous added.

"I think he's kinda neat lookin'!" "Of course you'd think that Remus; you're the type for odd stuff." "Enough, Creativity." After a mock-offended gasp from the green Side, the dark-blue/black Side adjusted his glasses and added: "Not you, Remus."

"Introductions?" "Yeah, yeah. Just get it over with. I want to travel through Imagination before bed."

The black-clad Side simply watched, trying not to panic at the sudden change of scenery.

"Salutations. I represent Thomas's Logic side, but my name is Logan." The tie-bearer spoke first. Anxiety decided that he was a reasonable enough person. He should be easy to get along with.

"Hiya, kiddo! I'm Thomas's Morality, but you can call me Patton!" This came from the overly cheerful Side. He seemed trustworthy, but maybe a bit too eager.

"Do I have to?" After a unanimous 'yes', the Side sighed and introduced himself. "I'm 'Good' Creativity and my name's Roman." 

~~Yes, he put it in air quotes.~~

"Oh! Oh! Me next!" Another overly excited Side stepped forward and offered what appeared to be a green tentacle. "I'm Remus! I represent 'Bad' Creativity, but really it's just what Roman thinks is a stupid idea." "How dare-" "Boys," Patton warned, as though he weren't the same age as everyone else.

"I'm not Deceit." That was all the information given from the yellow Side. Then again, that's all anyone knew about him. 

"I'm... I'm Anxiety..." The final Side hesitated to introduce himself at all, but since the others were it would be rude not to. "Do you have a name, Anxiety?"

He shook his head. 

After an awkward moment of silence, Patton clapped his hands once, startling Anxiety.

"Alrighty then! Who wants lunch?"


	2. First Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter same-day 'cause I like this prompt and also have nothing better to do at almost midnight.

A few days after he'd been formed, Anxiety began running into some problems.

He wasn't seen as helpful, for one.

In fact, the others probably saw him as a problem. They thought that he was always in the way of Thomas's success. Roman said it outright, of course. He was the type to be very blunt. Logan didn't hold much back but was a little more interested in protecting the Side than Roman was. Patton refused to say anything that confirmed the fact that he disliked Anxiety's presence, but he didn't deny it either. Remus and Deceit seemed indifferent to him at first but over the course of a few days, they'd grown more interested in Anxiety.

It was clear he'd had more of an effect on Thomas and his anxiety levels since manifesting, but it wasn't clear to Anxiety how much of an effect he'd had until the others couldn't be around him without calling up another Side to be nearby.

Of course, that Side was usually Roman - the Side that liked him the least.

It was only ever Patton or Logan that called for assistance, and it was only their calls that he heeded. 

"Hey, Patton. What's poppin'?" Anxiety had meant to make a joke, to surprise the self-designated father figure, but it was quickly misinterpreted as a threat. 

"ROMAN!" He couldn't tell if it was because he was genuinely scared or because it was a reflex at this point, but Patton had summoned the Side so that he stood between Morality and Anxiety.

"What's wrong, oh dear citizen? If it's another spider, I shall vanquish it for you, never-" He cut himself off as he stared down at the two Sides - one whose eyes danced in guilt and one whose shone with tears and alarm. 

"What-what's wrong, guys?" 

The short Side glanced between the tall Side with his sword drawn and the slightly shorter Side cowering behind him, as though he were a wall of protection. 

"N-nothing, kiddo. You just startled me, is all." Patton answered the question, his voice shy and sounding as though it came from miles away and not a couple of feet.

"Then is it ok if I offer a hug as an apology?" Anxiety began to step forward before being stopped by a cold metal blade pressed against his neck.

"Don't come any closer."

"What?" His breath came in short doses. He was going to start an anxiety attack if he didn't calm down.

"You heard me, you monster. Stay back." "Roman, don't be so mean." 

Despite his words, the moral Side cowered even further out of sight, if that was possible. 

"All he's done is hurt us. Hurt Thomas. Why does he deserve a shred of kindness?" "Roman..."

Anxiety was frozen in fear. Every time he swallowed, he could feel his Adam's apple pressed uncomfortably against the sharp edge of the sword. The metal sent a shiver down his spine every time it got too much contact with his skin. Tears pricked at his eyes, begging to be let loose. Begging to make him more vulnerable than he already was. 

His vision was blurred, his hearing shot as a ringing took over, leaving him defenseless in the event that the Prince did take action. 

A moment later, he heard something other than ringing and tried to focus on it, but by the time he'd grounded himself, he was hyper-aware of the fact that he was alone in the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know exactly what to think about how I'm carrying this out but Imma post it before it becomes a sleep-deprived mess so uh leave suggestions for editing ig.


	3. A Heartbreaking Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite Deceit's name reveal, I will not be using it in this story, as it is during Thomas's teen years. 
> 
> Due to the fact that I do not know when I will update this again, - hopefully, next week - I'm going to try and make this a fairly long chapter. At least, long compared to the other two. Anyway, enjoy and stay safe!

A few hours later, Anxiety sat alone in his room, thinking about the events of earlier. He'd since calmed and relaxed after his "small" anxiety attack.

Of course, the others had been worried about calming Thomas down as he had one of his own. Luckily for him, Deceit had stayed behind and found him all alone, curled up in a corner of his room. The Side grounded him and soothed him until the others began to pound at the door. While they were all speaking, only Roman's voice was distinctive. "What was that, Anxiety?! Why did Thomas have an anxiety attack?! Are you aware of how you're hurting him?!"

Roman pounded on the door as Patton tried to calm him. "Roman, enough! We don't want to scare him!" The pounding stopped. "And why not, Padre?! He's scared all of us! Except for me, of course." Anxiety could almost see Logan fix his tie before speaking. "Actually, Roman, you have also expressed your fear of Anxiety." "It is nothing compared to your fear of him, Logan." The pounding resumed. "But all that aside, Anxiety needs to come out here and explain what that was about!!" Anxiety cowered, shaking, and turned into Deceit's comforting arms.

" _Do_ worry, Anxiety. I _won't_ deal with Roman." Despite his best efforts, Deceit could not ground the younger Side while Roman continued to pound on the door. "Oh, do shut up, Roman! It _isn't_ absolutely impossible to help Anxiety." 

Silence.

"Deceit?"

He sighed. " _No._ " After leaning Anxiety against his wall, Deceit stood and walked over to the door. He looked back, gave the younger Side a small smile, then opened the door. "Honestly, Roman, it's _not_ annoying when you pound on the door. Especially on Anxiety's door."

Roman looked down guiltily. Patton and Logan exchanged a glance and Remus dashed into the room to continue comforting Anxiety. "He's still a monster. I don't understand why you all can't see that."

Patton gave him an astonished look. "Roman, I'm disappointed in you! We may be scared of him, but he's still one of us." 

From behind Deceit came Anxiety's voice. "I can still hear all of you, you know." Patton left with Logan - Anxiety hoped it was only out of fear for confrontation, but that meant he'd been far too harsh with his words. Remus stood on Deceit's other side. 

"Yeah, well maybe you should! Maybe you'll learn to leave us alone!" Roman himself looked startled by what he'd said. A moment later, however, his face returned to an angry expression. "I don't get why you hate him so much, Roman!" The brothers began to fight, which did not help Anxiety at all. Deceit pushed the two out into the hall and slammed the door shut. He sat the Side down and tried to get him to relax, but nothing worked. Eventually, Anxiety fell asleep. So, Deceit picked him up gently and laid him down on his bed, covering him in his blankets.

Quietly, the Side left the room and shut the door behind him.

Two hours later, Anxiety woke to the sounds of a movie playing in the living room. He didn't move at first, replaying the scenes up to him falling asleep. After a bit though, he heard Roman pass his door and jump to the floor below, calling out for Logan. "Come on, Nerd! Join us for another movie!"

The Side's response was quiet but still audible from Anxiety's room. "I'm going to retire for the night, Roman. _Someone_ has to keep Thomas on some sort of schedule. He can watch movies after he does his homework tomorrow." Anxiety heard Logan's door shut down the hall and waited a minute.

Another movie started up, filling the apartment with noise once more. _If I'm going to be social, I might as well do it now._

Anxiety opened his door and trudged down the stairs to find Roman and Patton curled up on the couch. Remus sat behind it, and Deceit sat at the table reading a book. "H-hey, guys. What movie-"

He was stopped by Roman's sword swinging up towards his face. The Side stopped its motion when he realized who it was, but it was too late. Anxiety's hoodie was torn, the zipper on the right side was cut away from the rest, meaning he would have to fix it later. 

"W-what the heck dude?!" Patton peered at him from around Roman's wide stance. Anxiety didn't miss the Side flinching at his tone. Both Deceit and Remus were watching, the former standing and prepared to get between Roman and Anxiety.

"You're lucky it wasn't your throat, you weirdo!" Anxiety took a step back, clutching the torn piece of his hoodie like a lifeline. Roman lifted the Side's chin with the blade of his sword, making Anxiety look him in his eyes. "Roman, stop!"

The anger in Patton's voice did not match the look in his eyes. "Seriously, Roman, _do keep going._ You're _not_ being ridiculous." Deceit stepped in front of Anxiety, batting the sword away as though it were nothing. "Wow! Do you know how rude it is to bat away a princes' sword like it's nothing, you snake?"

The Side glared at him as Anxiety peeked over his shoulder. His eyes burned with tears he struggled to keep back, but for sake of trying to look strong, he leveled his voice. 

"I just wanted-" "Go away!! We don't want you here!" Roman took another step towards the two Sides, who both stepped back in unison. Anxiety looked at Patton, who's scared face was peeking around the prince. "R-Roman, you're being a little mean..."

Anxiety watched as Morality's hands clenched fearfully to Roman's sash. "Am I, Pat? Or am I just doing what you and Logan are too scared to do?"

Anxiety had heard enough. He pushed off Deceit and ran up the stairs, going as fast as he could considering his nerves were shot. "Get back here, you monster! Why, when I'm done with you-" "Roman, stop!" Three voices cried out behind him, drowned out by footsteps climbing the steps after him. "You freak! You're a mess! You're the problem with Thomas!"

Anxiety's breath came faster and harder as he sprinted the final two stairs. His tears flowed freely down his cheeks as he ran past Logan's room - the Side, of course, had come out and looked around when he heard the noise. "What in the world-" His question was answered when a furious Roman dashed by him. "Oh, dear."

Patton cried out from the staircase. "Roman, enough!" Logan looked over the railing to see a crying Patton and Remus comforting a shaking Deceit who looked ready to give chase after Roman. He looked back down the hall as a door slammed loudly.

The only noise that sounded was Roman's incessant pounding on Anxiety's door.

Inside, the small Side tried to stop his tears from falling. He pressed his clenched fists to his eyes, hoping to dry them and block more tears from flowing. Ultimately, he failed, so he let his tears fall for what felt like hours. Really, it was thirty minutes. Roman finally gave up on the door and slid down to lean against it.

Anxiety flinched as he heard the sword clatter to the ground. Though his tears had since stopped, his eyes were still blurry with wetness. Through the blurriness, Anxiety did his best to sew the cloth with the zipper back to his jacket. 

He held back his whimpers as the needle pricked his skin and his fingers began to bleed. He wrapped each finger in a band-aid and continued to sew the pieces of cloth together.

Another hour and a half later, Anxiety sighed in relief as he slipped the jacket back on. He heard a similar sigh on the other side of his door. _Is that Roman, still?_ Ignoring his fear and anxious thoughts as best he could, - being anxiety and all - Anxiety threw the needle and thread to the floor and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELCOME TO THE ANGST EXPRESS! PASSENGERS: YOU.
> 
> So yeah! Be on the lookout for the next chapter!
> 
> Fun fact: the line where Roman says "do you know how rude it is to bat away a sword" was inspired by my brother.


	4. The Misunderstood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Sunday, it's technically next week. Here we go!
> 
> Sidenote: thank you for all the comments on the last chapter! It makes me extremely happy to know that people are enjoying the story.
> 
> Also: there is a mention of self-harm during the first few paragraphs. You have been warned.

The next day, Anxiety woke up to arms full of scratches, skin raked back and under his nails, and blood still streaking onto his sheets. _Not again._ He sighed and got up to begin taking care of the mess. 

Firstly, he wet a washcloth and ran it up and down his arms to get rid of the blood. Second, he wrapped his arms in bandages and began to clean his bedsheet and blanket. After that was done, he sat on his uncovered bed and scratched subconsciously while waiting for the sheets to dry. _I've got to stop this. One of the others is bound to notice soon._ Despite reminding himself of the fact, Anxiety continued to scratch his arms and draw blood.

"Ah!" He jumped as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. "Dang it. I've got to get a handle on this." He went back into his bathroom and grabbed the washcloth again. After wrapping the part of his upper arm that was exposed and bleeding, Anxiety checked on his sheet. "Still wet," he muttered. "Might as well go downstairs to get food. Hopefully Roman isn't down there."

"Alright, I'm going to Imagination! Call me if you need me!" _More like if I scare the others_ , Anxiety thought bitterly. _That was perfect timing though._ He left the bathroom and started when Roman pounded once on his bedroom door. "Don't terrorize the others while I'm gone, freak." The boy's voice hissed quietly through the wood before his footsteps carried him down the hall. After he was sure that Roman's door had been closed, Anxiety creeped out of his room and went downstairs. As he rounded the railing, he saw Logan spreading Crofter's on a piece of toast.

Anxiety walked into the kitchen to make himself some toast, his heart pounding loud enough that the other Side must be able to hear it. "Hey, Lo-" The unholy shriek that cut him off was followed by a call for Roman. "-gan." The Side sighed tiredly as he prepared himself for Roman's arrival. A moment later, all breath was released from his lungs in a gasp as he was shoved against the counter.

Anxiety cringed as much as possible when the pain of his hip hitting the edge registered in his brain. When he realized his eyes were closed, the Side opened them to see the sword pressed against his throat once more. Anxiety tried to calm himself as he examined the prince. His face was filled with anger, his eyes burning a hole through Anxiety's head.

"How dare you!" Roman took a small step forward, his leg now pressing uncomfortably against Anxiety's knee, bending it backward. In response, Anxiety leaned away from Roman, his breath coming in uneven spurts. He wanted to get angry, to lash back and defend himself against the bully that stood in front of him. He wanted to argue that all he'd said was a hello, but instead what came out was this: "I-I'm sorry, I just-".

Roman cut him off, pressing his sword against Anxiety's throat more, threatening to make a cut. "Don't you know when to quit?? We don't want you here! You don't belong!!" His words came out in a threatening growl. Anxiety's knees buckled, the only thing keeping his body upright and not getting cut by the sword was his hand. It pressed against the sharp edge of the counter, stinging with all the pressure upon it. Roman noticed - _truly_ realized for the first time - the fear in the Side's eyes and was so startled by it that he took a step back.

Anxiety took the chance of the sword not being against his throat to run. He raced up the staircase and past a frightened Patton, not daring to look back as Roman turned around to comfort Logan. Logan, whose toast was now on the floor. Anxiety slammed his door shut and felt himself collapse onto the ground as his anxiety attack grew worse. He knew Thomas, poor Thomas getting ready for school, was going to spiral into an attack himself, but Anxiety couldn't bring himself to care.

Ten minutes later, Anxiety's breaths became more evened out and he fell asleep. He woke intermittently, his stomach rumbling and painful as he remembered each time he woke that he hadn't gotten any food. 

At one point, his hip throbbed so much that he moved to his bed and laid on his back.

That night, when the other Sides were asleep, he realized that as long as he was quiet, he could return to the kitchen to get food. Which is exactly what he did. 

He slipped into the kitchen, avoiding the creaky part of the floor, and grabbed a slice of bread, throwing Nutella onto it. He ate quickly and quietly, saluting Remus as the boy grabbed a pickle from the refrigerator. "How's it going, Anx?" Looking around for Roman, Anxiety responded quietly. 

"I'd be better if your brother wasn't always attacking me." Remus nodded in understanding. "Yeah, he's like that. I dunno what his problem is. You're not a freak. He'll get over himself."

Remus patted Anxiety on the back before heading back up the stairs. Anxiety didn't know where he slept, because he had yet to find his room, but he suspected it was a cabinet. 

Sighing, grateful that Roman wasn't around, Anxiety sat on the counter and listened to the quiet that was the mindscape. He focused on the ice machine as it clattered loudly. He watched one of Thomas's dreams as it appeared on the 'television'. After it changed to a dream about killing a dragon-witch, Anxiety crawled off the counter and made his way back up to his room.

Wrapping his jacket around himself protectively, Anxiety fell asleep once more, almost feeling safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should probably give a little background. There is no "light" or "dark" Side yet. That is coming, though. That is why Anxiety doesn't leave - if anyone was wondering. He literally can't get away from them, because there's nowhere else to go yet.


	5. Nightmares and Night Scares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of these days I'm going to write a word that means something totally different from what I mean but they sound the same. I wouldn't even realize it until someone told me and that is because I English real bad sometimes.

A few days later, Anxiety woke up after another bad nightmare. Again, just like every night since he'd seen Remus, Anxiety had felt the distinct feeling of Roman's sword pressed against his throat.

Roman had fought with Patton earlier that day. The latter had been arguing with Roman about accepting Anxiety, despite his differences. Roman argued back that his differences were not the same as Remus and Deceit's differences. The two continued to argue for some time until Logan interfered and got them to calm down. Anxiety had listened the whole time.

Anxiety had tried to go back to sleep, but the phantom feeling of Roman's blade kept waking him up. At one point, there was crashing down the hall as - what Anxiety presumed to be Remus and Roman - two Sides ran past, slamming each other into the walls and doors. "I'm gonna kill the dragon-witch first!" One of them screeched as he slammed his brother into the wall. Anxiety heard a hand slam, probably the brother pushing himself off the wall, before a retort. "Not today, stinky!"

One of them slammed against Anxiety's door and they both fell silent. "Does he ever come out of his room?" "Who cares?" Anxiety guessed that Roman shoved Remus against the door, the latter blowing a raspberry. "Be careful you two!"

Patton's voice called after them before wishing a 'Good night' to Logan and Deceit and quietly closing his door. 

Sighing gratefully, Anxiety slipped out of his room once more. Over the past few days, he'd made a habit of only leaving his room at night when no other Side could attack him. Due to his repetitive nightmares, Anxiety hadn't slept much either. The Side went down into the living room and sat on the staircase for a minute. He took in the peace and quiet that was the night. 

Anxiety sat down on the couch, watching one of Thomas's dreams as it changed between Roman's dragon-witch and Remus's electrocution of Thomas's brother. It wasn't graphic, but Anxiety felt a little disturbed, and he noticed that the Mind Palace shook a little as Thomas woke with a start, a bit of fear edging into his thoughts. A moment later, he laid back down and Roman's dream started again. Anxiety relaxed, laying down on the couch with a light blanket pulled over him securely. In his relaxation, he forgot that Roman would probably attack him if he found Anxiety there.

The Side fell asleep, too exhausted to have his usual nightmares. That is, until he felt the coldness of the steel pressed against his skin again. He felt the sharpness of the blade threaten to expose the inside of his throat to the world. 

Anxiety woke up, breaths coming in unnatural, uneven gasps, sweat dripping down his forehead. He tried to stay as still as possible, for in front of him was Roman, the sword threateningly close to Anxiety's veins. The icy look in Roman's eyes made Anxiety's breathing hitch for a moment. His glare was filled with pure hatred, seemingly wishing death upon the Side at his mercy.

"What are you doing down here?" Roman hissed, pressing the sword against Anxiety's throat more. "I-I just fell asleep! I didn't mean-" Roman cut him off. "A likely story, Anxiety." "Roman! What's going on?!" Behind Anxiety, Patton stood on the last stair, his face pale and stricken with panic.

"He waited down here to ambush us, Patton!" The Side walked around, rubbing his eyes in an effort to rid them of the last bit of sleep. "Anxiety? Is this true?" "Of course it's true, Padre! Don't you believe me?" Patton looked conflicted.

"Of course I do, kiddo! We gotta make sure we have the whole story, though." Roman huffed before lowering his sword a little, coming to rest on Anxiety's shoulder. 

The latter's thoughts raced. Did he tell the truth, that he'd only been sleeping? Did he dare tell them about the nightmares? What would Patton think? What would Roman say, and how would he react? Did he lie and let Roman play the good guy? How likely was it that Patton believed him anyway?

"Kiddo?" Anxiety looked up at the Side, who was now crouched beside him. "Breathe in for 4 seconds." Anxiety did so gratefully. "Hold it for 7." Patton waited the seven seconds, a small smile on his face. "Now let it out for eight." After another round of the breathing exercise, Anxiety calmed down. 

"Anxiety, why are you sleeping down here?" "I-I didn't mean to, I promise. I just fell asleep by accident." It was a partial truth, at least. "Oh, come on! You expect us to believe that? You came down here and waited for someone to wake up so you could scare them!" 

The youngest Side shook his head quickly. "I wasn't going to do that, I swear! My room is just too much sometimes." Anxiety couldn't bring himself to look in Patton's eyes. Instead, he looked into Roman's glaring set. "What is that supposed to mean? You aren't grateful for the fact that you have a room? We could just make you sleep in a cabinet with Remus!" "Roman!!"

Patton and Roman began arguing, the former standing up to be eye level with the latter. "Give him a chance, Roman! He may not be all that bad!" "You've literally called me up to defend you from him, Patton! How can you now say that he may not be all that bad?!" Roman's sword pulled away from Anxiety's shoulder, which he took as his cue to leave.

He dashed away from the couch before either could realize. With his head down, Anxiety ran straight *gay* into Logan's chest. The boy shrieked for a second before looking down to see the Side on the floor. "My apologies, Anxiety. Are you alright?" Logan reached down to help Anxiety up, but the other Side was already making his way up the staircase.

He avoided Deceit and Remus as they passed him down the hall and made a point to slam his door shut. He could hear Roman shout "Hey! Where'd he go?"

After that, Anxiety never left his room. Not during the day. Not during the night when the others were asleep. He didn't come out when Thomas called them down, or when they came to him. Anxiety didn't open his door when Patton knocked on it. Not when Remus, Deceit, Logan, or even Roman knocked. He didn't answer when Roman asked to talk to him - probably at Patton's request.

Anxiety avoided sleeping as much as possible, occasionally falling asleep on the floor. He watched as his room went from semi-colorful to complete pitch black. Everything was black or dark grey. The Side grew hungrier as two weeks passed. Finally, he was all alone. Nobody knocked on his door anymore, and no one tried to summon him out of his room.

He was grateful for the quiet, but something felt off. He felt like he was missing something.

Or someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've used the word ladder so much that it doesn't even sound like a word anymore. 
> 
> Anyway, the next chapter is gonna be pretty short.


	6. A Savior Come At Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter in this short story. I'm so very grateful to all the people who read this story, gave it kudos, and/or commented. It means so much to me that people are interacting with and enjoy this story, so thank you!

Almost three weeks after Anxiety shut himself in his room, the Mind Palace shook violently. It shook like an earthquake, but nothing got destroyed. A minute later, it stopped.

That was when the yelling began.

Roman and Remus's voices were distinctly louder than the others. "You should just go, Remus!" "I thought we were brothers! Brothers are supposed to look out for each other, aren't they?!" "We have no place for Dark Sides! Don't you understand that?! You don't belong here, and neither does Deceit!!" "ROMAN ENOUGH!" Patton and Logan's voices rang together, silencing both halves of Creativity.

A sucking noise rang for a second, and then Roman made a sound that seemed like sobbing. "R-Roman?" Anxiety could hear the heartbreak in Patton's voice. "I know you'll miss him, but it's for the best." "I know, Padre. I know." Logan spoke up. "Where is Deceit?"

A quiet knock alerted Anxiety to the presence of another Side. "Who is it?" He whispered. His voice was dry from hardly speaking, but it must have been audible through the wood. "It's _not_ Deceit. We _don't_ have to go, Anxiety." The door opened and there was Deceit, a hand outstretched and a gentle smile was on his face. 

"Where... where are we going?" "DECEIT?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Roman's voice made both of them jump. "We have to go, now. Roman _won't_ attack us if we don't leave." Anxiety stood, not sure whether he should believe Deceit or not. The other Side sighed. "Come with us, Anxiety. You'll be loved and appreciated. You'll be cared for." His voice sounded so genuine. So kind. "You'll never go another night hungry."

A single tear stung Anxiety's eye as he flung himself at the Side in relief. He hugged him gratefully, pulling back when it was not returned. "S-sorry." "It's _not_ alright. So, are you coming with us?" "ANXIETY?! DECEIT!!" Anxiety nodded, taking Deceit's hand like a lifeline. 

Before he could give it another thought, the two were sucked into a darkness that scared Anxiety. A moment later, he found himself in a place like the one they'd just left that for a moment, he thought they were still there. All he saw was Deceit and Remus, though.

He gathered his surroundings to find that it was a darker Mind Palace with only three rooms. They greeted him with open arms, and he had accepted without any suspicion whatsoever. Anxiety had been consumed into a deal that he didn't fully understand, and it was one that would land him in trouble for years to come.

**END.**


	7. Should I make this a series?

Hey all.

I know that a good author finishes their story and doesn't continue adding on forever. However, I was reading through it again and thinking about something.

What if I made a sequel to this? It would go through what Anxiety went through after he took Deceit's deal, how the "Light Sides" felt after the separation and Anxiety's strange behavior. It would include a little from the actual videos but mostly would be behind the scenes.

I'm not sure if I will end up doing this, as I have two open stories on Wattpad and one that I'm working on but haven't posted, but if there is even one person who would be interested in a sequel, please let me know and I will try to write one.

Stay safe,

that_gay_mess


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